Bistro Campagne

As most of you probably recall, Friday was a beautiful evening. Not too cold, not too hot and clear. On evenings like this, my husband and I will typically grill something and have dinner in our garden. This evening, however, nothing in our fridge appealed to me and the thought of shopping, cooking and then trying to get our 5 month old down at 7:30 was just too much. So the decision on whether to eat out was easy, the next question was where. Initially, we thought of Resi's, but we both wanted a glass of wine. Mia was the next option, but we had eaten pasta the evening before. Mike then suggested Bistro Campagne. Like many of us here, I have always really wanted to like Bistro Campagne. What's not to like? Bistro Campagne was the first Chicago restaurant to be certified organic. Michael Altenberg sources locally and is a big supporter of the Green City Market. And then the space, the dark wood mission style interior is eerily reminiscent of Chez Panisse, a restaurant clearly influential on Altenberg's cuisine. The restaurant's best feature, particularly on an evening like Friday, is the garden. Shaded and quiet, full of hostas and day lillies, the garden is a refuge from the city. Bistro Campagne's one failing has been its food. Each time I had previously been to Bistro Campagne, the meal had been uninspired, if not worse. And each time, I think, why didn't I just eat at Tournesol.

I'm happy to report that great strides have been made to correct this failing. The food on Friday was really good, excellent in some instances. I had the steak tartare, which was served with a bowl of house made waffle chips. The tartare came as a round of freshly ground beef, a raw quail egg to top and the accoutrements laid out like numbers on a clock. Quite flavorful with a nice presentation. My entree was the leg of lamb with melted tomatoes, a chick pea cake and sauteed swiss chard. The lamb, which was from a Wisconsin farm, was a touch overdone, but still tender and juicy. I really liked the vegetables. Mike had the charcuterie plate and the pork chop (yes we like our meat). I did not taste his appetizer, but his pork was excellent as were the crispy spaetzle that accompanied it. Typically, we do not have dessert at Bistro Campagne, having been disappointed far earlier in the meal, but given our luck that evening, we forged on. Good thing. The blueberry financier with candied lemon ice was the best thing I ate that evening. The profiteroles were less exciting, but still serviceable.

Bistro Campagne has a nice wine list. It's not extensive and it's heavy on the French, but we've always had good luck with it. We had the 2001 Givry Premier Cru, Clos Solomon, which was everything a Burgandy should be - earthy, complex and eminently drinkable.

With all of this and an approximately 22% tip, the bill was a little over $150.

I hope to say that we have found a new stop in our dining favorites.

That's good to hear. For a place I haven't been crazy about, Bistro Campagne has gotten a lot of business from me, just because that garden is so nice and it absorbs a lot of sound from rowdy kids.

Have you tried Bad Dog Tavern? I've been meaning to post on it forever and have not, which means I've sort of forgotten the details from any of my visits that I'd need to post now. I have very mixed feelings about it, which are: the food has always really been good, several notches above the bar food that you'd think from the name, the dark, smoky interior, the tables of singles, and all the other bar vibes it gives off. Very skillfully executed, vaguely Asian-minimalist entrees at very reasonable prices. Unfortunately service and personality wise it really is a bar, not a fine restaurant, and certainly not one that has much of a clue how to handle family business-- they've committed pretty much every imaginable family-unfriendly faux pas such as making me walk my kids all the way through the smoky bar to get to an outside table, seating us next to the four gay guys so my 5-year-old can learn new four-letter words that Dad doesn't use even in heavy traffic while they're just as delighted that the table right next to them emits tornado-siren shrieks on a regular basis, seating the two year old in front of a lighted candle with a machete-sized steak knife and a tall glass of water, etc. None of this would surprise me in Wicker Park, say, but in Lincoln Square they seem to know better... most places. But as I say, the food has generally been so well prepared that I really wish they'd clue in to what neighborhood and business they should be in.

Bad Dog Tavern
4535 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
(773) 334-4040

That is a real shame. We have eaten there and I agree that the food is surprisingly good. Mike was particuarly pleased, and I impressed, with the house made Italian sausage. The service was not equally impressive. I guess we did have a similar experience in that I asked for some hot water for Thor's formula and it took the waiter an inordinate amount of time to respond to our request.

Since when did it become acceptable in contemporary American society to take children--particularly infants--to taverns? I am always amazed when I see this. Believe it or not, Lincoln Square includes gay men who like to smoke and drink and perhaps get a little rowdy. And why shouldn't they expect to have good food while doing just that? If I'm out at a tavern, I shouldn't have to edit my language or put out my cigarette.

When I went, it was for Saturday lunch, not 8:00 on a Saturday evening. We sat outside as not to disturb anyone, and we happen to have a particularly well-behaved infant for restaurant purposes who was probably less intrusive than the fellow patron speaking loudly into his cell phone. I do agree that there are certain places and certain dining times that are not child-friendly. For example, I would have no problem bringing my son to Mia Francesca at 5:00 on a weeknight, but would never bring him there at 8:00 on a weekend night. Also, I don't know whether you've been to Bad Dog Tavern, but it is more of a tavern in the vein of West Town as opposed to Moe's.

PHONE CALLS TO MOE'S
(with replies when made)

Bart (in Principal Skinner's office)
Uh, Homer Sexual? Aw, come on, come on, one of you guys has gotta be Homer Sexual!
Homer says "Don't look at me!"
Oh, no...
You rotten little punk! If I ever get a hold of you, I'll sink my teeth into your cheek and rip your face off!
Skinner, on the other end of the line, says "You'll do what, young man?"

As Thor's Personal Assistant, and as Thor was the respective infant that was "crashing" the smoking and drinking of the patrons of said Lincoln Square lounge, Thor would like to add that he has no problem with bar patrons who look to smoke, get drunk and be rowdy at a libation establishment. Thor has only one request--please leave a drag of the cigarette and a sip of the wine for him so he can be rowdy too. While his rowdiness may take the form of crying loudly and piercing other patrons' eardrums, from my experience, the rowdiness of other "more adult" patrons is sometimes more annoying.

In keeping with the spirit of this being a Food Board (yes, we know that Big Brother GWiv is watching), Thor was especially happy with the homemade sausage at Bad Dog and with his Pork Chop at the Bistro. Like his Mom, Thor has never met a pork product he doesn't like.

I pressed submit, when intending to press preview. I guess my point is only this. I agree that if children are in a true bar setting, it's kind of caveat emptor. For example, my husband and I stopped in to Sheffield's with my son's godmother and her fiance to watch the Derby. We had a pre-baptismal meeting at our church, which ended right before the start of the race. Sheffield's was the closest place for us to watch it. The couple next to us was smoking up a storm. We certainly couldn't complain, so we just moved to a different table.

"Since when did it become acceptable in contemporary American society to take children--particularly infants--to taverns? I am always amazed when I see this."

I for one don't know, but I'm sure glad to see that in our formerly puritanical country, at least in Chicago, we have joined the ranks of civilized nations such as England, Italy and Spain, where the toddler sits down with the toddlin', gli infanti bevano nelle entoteche, and los bebes beben en el bar de tapas.

Having children eat at restaurants that serve booze, or taverns that serve food, is the sort of thing you learn to put up with in such an open-minded and tolerant place as this.

I agree, but unfortunately we don't have that long rich tradition of pubs and public houses here. The presence of a child in a tavern doesn't bother me, but the piety of parents who protest for the welfare of their children in that circumstance does.

Since when did it become acceptable in contemporary American society to take children--particularly infants--to taverns?

Since they put in outdoor seating and started serving food more elaborate than pickled eggs and jalapeno poppers, in a neighborhood that is primarily families?

Fer criminy, we're not talkin' Tuman's here. Note use of words "Wicker Park" in my post as indicator of my awareness of where kids are and aren't welcome, and negative references to smoky interior as a sign that I am not, in fact, bringing my kids into a tavern. I think I have a pretty good sense of where it's logical to bring my kids and where they'll be a pain. 5:30 pm on a weeknight in outdoor seating in Lincoln Square is safely within my definition of appropriate.

What I wasn't clear about, entirely, was-- not that I expect four gay guys to have the responsibility to be circumspect next to my kids. I expect the waitstaff in a neighborhood like that to be clued in enough that when there are approximately 25 empty tables lined up single file along the entire side of a building, they don't seat the two-year-old right next to the only other, all-adult party there. And immediately equip him with the aforesaid instruments of death.

In terms of their general metrosexuality, in fact both my sons have always been quite popular at She She, to name one place nearby. So WE are tolerant of you. I hope you can be as tolerant of us, especially if WE are kind enough to go to the trouble of making clueless waitstaff move us further away from you for your benefit at least as much as ours.

Fer criminy, we're not talkin' Tuman's here.

Can we focus on the wailing of alcoholics everywhere at the passing of Tuman's? Still sad.

keep drinking,
J. Ro

Yeah, Tuman's was the shit. Now i only see that brownie lady out once in a blue moon, and my ass isn't sore from passing out sitting bolt upright on a keg.

I'm not sure what all of that meant, but it sounds like the filthiest thing yet posted on this board. Hhh-hmm! My kids are listening!

1st post.


Just wanted to mention that I had an absolutely exceptional meal at Bistro Campagne in Lincoln Square this weekend. The ambiance of that outdoor area is close to unrivaled in this city and the food was phenomenal. I'm not the type to write tomes of information on the preparation or presentation of the food (although I do enjoy reading some of yours ), so I'll just say that it was one of the best meals I've had in Chicago in a while. Everything our table ordered was worthy of a "you gotta try this" and the service was timely and attentive. I'll definitely be going back.

I went to Bistro Campagne this past Saturday with a group of 5. Very relaxed, pleasant space.

Appetizers were received very well - Escargot, mussles, Foie Gras, lyonassie were among the chosen. We also ordered a side of Frites and a side of Olives. I think the meal peaked here with all of the appetizers being outstanding. The entrees were a bit more mixed. The rabbit was nice, but wasn't very gamey and came off fairly bland. The Beef Stew reviewer said it was flat out too salty, but perfectly tender. My leg of lamb was pretty good, the potato gratin base was superb, but I've had better leg of lamb for less on Devon and in Greektown to be honest. My wife had the skate, which I finished off for her. I thought it was a very delicate, satisfying cut of fish.

We also had pot de creme, creme brulee and a lemon tart for dessert.

I definitely enjoyed my meal here and it was very reasonably priced considering. In terms of comparison, I do not think it was as tasty as Cafe Absinthe or La Sardine however.

Why not tell everyone about my evening at the recently renovated Bistro Campagne -- too much wine, but with spell check, I can still make some sense.

The corn soup (with gazpacho sorbet and basil) was good, but cream masked a little of the rich corn flavor. Recent versions at Salpicon and Dorado were better, simply due to the fact that less or no cream was used.

Trout with capers, haricot verts and lemon: fantastic!

Pommes Frites with roasted garlic aioli was very, very good.

Tomato, mozzarella and basil (and a little balsamic) salad done very nicely, mostly because the tomatoes were perfectly ripe. My friends raved about the steak frite and croque madame.

All in all, a very nice meal and a fantastic waitress (only there 2 weeks she said) who treated my friends and I very well. My last meal at Bistro Campagne made me think I was dining in a salt mine -- this was far better and makes me want to return.

Hopefully, they are back on track . . . it sure seems that way.

Three of us dined at Bistro Campagne last night and had a wonderful meal.

We sat in the outdoor garden area, which was beautiful. We didn't have reservations. But the wait wasn't long, perhaps 30 minutes, during which time we had some wine. We were able to sit in the garden while we waited, which is a great touch and a nice improvement over standing near the entrance way.

We shared the skate special, which was cooked excellently and finished with a touch of a light red wine vinegrette. We also had the pate appetizer plate and the mussels. The latter were especially memorable, done with a buttery beer sauce. We also had the bistro burger and an extra order of the onion frites, both of which were excellent. With dinner we had a bottle of one of my favorites, Domaine du Fontsainte (Reserve la Demoiselle), which was very reasonably priced at $30.

Combined with the perfect weather, this was a great meal in a beautiful outdoor setting.

BR wrote:Hopefully, they are back on track . . . it sure seems that way.

This is our local bistro, so we go there often, and have witnessed (and eaten) all it's ups and downs. For one brief period about a year or so ago, they had an inventive menu that changed fairly regularly - but lately the menu barely changes at all. It's good to know they have stopped oversalting their food - now if they could only bring a little more innovation to their menu! They even got rid of their socca.

Last night we debated going there, but couldn't find anything on the menu that piqued our interest. It's good to know that what they do serve is once again well prepared, though.

i'm too lazy to call, do they have weekday prix-fixe speshuls?

I know whether they have weekday specials, but I'm too lazy to say.

I just wanted to add my compliments to the Bistro Campagne thread. Living in the area for 5+ years, I've had the opportunity to visit Bistro a number of times and have always had a great experience both food-wise and service-wise. Recently I stopped in for a solo dinner and finally tried their roast chicken entree, something I'd heard other friends/family rave about. I was kicking myself for not trying it sooner as it had me craving the dish so much that I began searching for recipes for the mushroom sauce so I could recreate the dish at home. And knowing that a delicious croque madame is only a 10-minute walk from my place makes me very happy!

Does anyone have any recent experiences here? I have a friend coming in from out of town, and although the patio strongly beckons, I wonder how the food is. (It's been some years since I've eaten here.) The food is definitely secondary to the company and the surroundings, but disappointing food would put a damper on the evening.

Mr. X and I went a couple of months ago and the meal was good, but not transcendant. The last time we had been there (three years ago), the meal was fantastic. I have great memories of the foie at the meal three years ago. Still, it's a great setting for a reliable meal.

Bistro Campagne still has the best burger ever.

MrAndersen wrote:Bistro Campagne still has the best burger ever.

Not sure about ever, but it has always been, and continues to be, among the best burgers I've had. Juicy, rare Tallgrass beef with a salty, crisp charred outside, a buttery fresh brioche bun, and a slice of aged WI cheddar. I get very frequent mouth-watering cravings for this burger.

(NB though - lettuce and tomato don't belong on a burger this good - tell them to leave it off)

My last meal at Bistro Campagne was very good, though it wasn't recent at all (at least a year ago). I've never been disappointed with a meal there, but others tell me their experiences have been mixed.

If you want great outdoor dining in the same neighborhood, you might consider Tallulah.

Tallulah
4539 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
773.942-7585

I've eaten at Bistro Campagne 4 times in the last year, and I have found it consistently good - better than it was a few years ago. While I have mixed feelings about some of the appetizers (always good but sometimes not great, often very small portions,) the entrees and desserts are excellent. If you get the steak frites or roast chicken, you can't go wrong.

My wife and dine at Bistro Campagne about once every 4-5 weeks. It's the first place I went that I "discovered" by reading about it here. We really enjoy everything about the place: Food, service, surroundings and staff.

I love the salmon dish and order it very often. The mussels are always very fresh. I recently tried the Gunthorp Farm pork chop and it was excellent. Moist and full of porkiness.

I'm not such a big fan of their steak frites and prefer Mon Ami's or Le Bouchon. Not because of the Tallgrass beef, which is remarkable but because I prefer the flatter version. (Butt steak?)

Always a great selection of wines at a reasonable price. Always good service.

And the Cinnamon & Brown butter bread pudding rocks!

Still terrific...service, food, ambiance...all top-notch...a true gem in the neighborhood..

Went again Friday with the wife . . . we are big fans. Had the rabbit. It was ok . . . kinda dry. Snails are excellent.